Wednesday July 15th 2026
Campaigners from reopen Carmyle Comunity Centre: (L-R) Claire Carmichael, Lynn Gillen and Chris Mitchell
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Catherine Hunter
Campaigners from a village in the suburbs of the East End of Glasgow are one step closer in taking over and reopening their local community centre.
Carmyle Re:Run, a group created to bring the centre which has been closed for three years back to life and make it even better than before, wants to lease the building from City Property.
If successful, organisation wants villagers to pick activities and clubs they want to see offered which could include quarterly dances, youth clubs, knitting, indoor football, walking football, indoor bowls and a place for people to come during the day to get a biscuit, cup of tea and have a “wee natter”.
It is hoped that reopening the centre will help reduce isolation and bring people together.
City Property has confirmed that it is currently considering an expression of interest in relation to a Community Asset Transfer for the property at 28 Hillcrest Road but were unable to provide further information due to “commercial sensitivities”.
Claire Carmicheal, who has been part of the campaign, said: “The village has been in decline so to give the residents a wee bit of hope that some good was coming is great. We are sandwiched in the middle of nowhere so isolation is quite high.
“The transport links aren’t that great so even trying to get out of the village can be a challenge for people who don’t have a car.”
Local resident Lynn Gillen explained what she would like to see in the community centre.
She said: “We are very isolated, the transport links aren’t the best and I have seen people online saying that they can’t have a party for their children and wanting to know what is happening with the community centre.
“I would like to see parties for kids offered here and a place for community groups to gather and eventually a wee community cafe or drop in centre.
“We have been looking to see what other community centres offer to see if they would be practical here.”
Sharon Cadde added: “I feel that this has been a really good achievement to get to this point for the community.
“It is up to us to keep pushing and pushing and pushing to try and get those timelines down in a way so we can get access to the community centre.
“We are making progress now, we have got to see inside it and the damage isn’t that bad.”
Chris Mitchell who helped launch the campaign said that there has been a lot of hard work and dedication behind the scenes.
He said: “I think the team has been inspirational. The residents have all come together because this is a crucial part of the community.
“We were in the centre looking at the damage and there is a bit of dampness but we are in a far better place than before.
“We are in a position now that we can start looking to the future and get the centre back open again. People are desperate for that to happen. I would like to thank everyone for supporting this.”
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